Apple security scares - fact or FUD?

Security firms are making a big deal about very little at all, when it comes to Mac security.

A report on Business Week looks at the recent furore around Mac security, and dismisses much of the currently circulating reports of fear, uncertainty and doubt for what they are: FUD.

It takes a close look at this week's claims by security "experts" at the SANS Institute, who claimed that Apple's reputation for offering an safe alternative was in "tatters". The report goes on to examine all the recent Apple security scares, all of which it rates as mild at best.

Poorly designed Windows to blame

It looks at Apple's move to Intel processors and Boot Camp's ability to run Windows, and points out that its the software, not the processor, that leaves a system exposed.

"How often have you heard blame being cast upon Intel for computer-security problems in the PC world? Practically all computer-security outbreaks in the Windows world attack weaknesses in software, either within the operating system itself, or applications running on it," it states.

Apple executives stressed that the company takes security very seriously, and dismissed the idea that it isn't used to dealing with attacks. Apple software developer Bud Tribble said: "It's false reasoning to say that we're only being targeted now, and that we're somehow less secure or that there's somehow an increase in threats."

Malware by design

A second report from IT Wire also dismisses recent scare-mongering Mac security claims. While this report concedes Macs can and will be targeted, it notes that the real vulnerability in software is in design.

"Windows machines get infected by malware through poor design, which is not the case with Macs," it stresses, adding that Macs are more secure because their OS is better designed.